The Loved Dog

by Tamar Geller, Andrea Cagan

A Hollywood dog trainer draws on her scientific studies with dogs to explain how to use non-violent, wolf-inspired methods in order to bond with and train canine companions, in a guide that reveals how to employ non-aggressive, play-based techniques that elicit desirable dog behaviors. 75,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs, Animals, Self Help, Reference

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Shell · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I appreciate the gentle training method there was too much name dropping and not enough focus on the training aspect. I don't care how nice Courtney Cox is, I want to learn how to get my dog to stop trying to eat my cat.

[Hilary "Fox" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part one of this book can easily be skipped by those who simply want instructions on inventive, non-aggressive ways to train your dog. The first part is largely biographical of Tamar Geller and serves to explain how it was she found herself training dogs, and the basis for which her method of dog-training comes from. While reasonably interesting, if you simply want instructions for training it's not really necessary and will only serve to take up time you could spend learning how to train your dog. The explanations for why her methods work are also repeated in the second session anyway.

Her method of dog-training she calls "Play-training" or "The Loved Dog Method." The basis of her belief is that dogs learn best through positive reinforcement and play. A dog is more apt to stop an unwanted behavior if you offer them an alternative, rather than punish him. In my experience, this sort of methodology has been adapted by most trainers, and it is a bit archaic to think that 'traditional' punishment methods work. i.e. shoving a dog's nose in its own excrement only serves to confuse and stress the dog out as much as it does you. When you think about the logic of that method... yeah, it falls apart quickly.

Her method seems sound, if a bit amusing to read about. "Dolphin noises," "making a party," and the dog's "wolf-nature" are all somewhat ridiculous phrases but I can see why they appeal to some. Essentially, celebrate every victory, but not necessarily with treats. Make things fun for you and the dog. Reward behaviors randomly once the behavior is set, and ensure extra rewards for exemplary behaviors. The best advice I found in this book came in the way of training in different situations/scenarios. It isn't intuitive that "sit" is still "sit" when another person orders it, or it's ordered outside, or in a different position. "Sit" to the dog might just be something one does whena person stands in front of you in the living room. Repeating behavior in a variety of novel situations is a very good, and needed, thing.

I think everyone has had the experience of a dog being perfect for a trainer or in obedience school and then terrible once it gets back home, after all.

[Malina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to read, but it isn't thorough enough to be a stand alone training book. It is more a biography with helpful tips and interesting anecdotes. There just isn't enough info to be the total basis for dog training. I really did enjoy the book and got some good ideas that I am using, but I don't feel like all of my questions are answered or addressed, so I'll keep reading other books!

Also, she talks as if her training ideas are unique and they really aren't. I've read and heard many of the ideas in other places.

[Derek Plote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me save you some time, so that you can just learn about training your dog and skip Tamar Geller's life story and tales of all the times she trained celebrities' dogs.

1. Don't beat your dog or be mean to it.
2. Don't punish your dog when it gets something wrong.
3. Reward your dog (via treats) when it gets something right while saying the name of the thing that it was doing that you liked (for instance, "good potty", "good sit", "good chewing this overlong book").


Congratulations, you are now ready to train your dog, and you also just saved yourself $10+.

[Crystal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel badly giving this book two stars. The author seems like a lovely person and I really appreciate how she took a difficult and abusive upbringing and turned it into a loving career with training dogs and treating them kindly, positively, and with so much love (the title is spot on). I have a background in animal care and work for a veterinary behaviorist, so I may know a bit more than the “average” dog owner. I read this book for a new perspective and found nothing new about it. It is very basic and would probably be a good read for a beginner or first time dog owner that does not want to become too overwhelmed. Also, the constant name dropping was a major turn off and by the end (Oprah!) I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. A quick and fluffy read.

[KrisAnne Spring · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has some great training ideas in it and I liked the way it is all positive training (no choke collars, no whacking with a newspaper, etc.). The tips really work too, although keep in mind that my puppy is a Golden Retriever, one of the easiest breeds to train. I'd be curious to hear how it would work for harder-to-train breeds like Schipperkes. The author could have spared us all her name dropping and family history, but I suppose that it could be entertaining for some readers.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting my first puppy ever I needed some direction. I really want a well trained dog and I know it starts with me. I skipped the personal story and went right to the functional chapters and they were very helpful. Particularly the wolf behavior chapter and tug of war. I'm glad I read this. I'll still be taking in person classes, though!

[Jeanne Halderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great tips in this book!

[Gerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF because I wasn't learning anything new and don't particularly like the author.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

My parents bought me this book for Christmas, hoping i would finally teach my Border Collie to stop jumping up at people. I read the book in one sitting, teaching "Tito" along the way. I enjoyed the personal stories which related to each training routein and trick. I found myself instantly liking Tamara, her love of animals is very apparent, and as a HUGE animal lover myself i felt obliged to stick to the book and its rules - if not for Tito then to pay homage to a good person who happens to be doing good things for all little doggies out there. Tito still hasn't learnt to calm down when visitors arrive, but we are getting there. Really good book to have on hand if you have an ill-mannered dog in your life (might work on men too!)

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading this book so when I get a dog in a couple months I will be ready. Not only to have a well behaved dog but a happy one also. I'm learning so much & I strongly suggest everyone read it that has a dog.

[Emma Maher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative, and fun training guide. Tamar made each chapter be fun, interesting, informative and definitely a book that I can refer back to many times over. I really enjoyed her personal testomony, explaining how she got to where she became a positive and gentle dog trainer. What she explained made complete sense. She made me also realise a couple of times where I went very wrong with Nucky, my first dog, and how to improve my bond and my working relationship with Ellen. I like her sharing her training experiences with other people's dogs, and that made the book more real and interesting. This book was well brought over and I definitely really loved Tamar's style of training and her advice.

[Ingrid van Agtmael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decided to write a brief review, as the book has come out of the cupboard again after 14 years.
After initially reading this book in 2010, I was astonished how incredibly logical and simple Tamar’s methods are.
I reread it a couple of times, but her way of teaching dogs was so - sorry, same word: logical, that it has become second nature.
Now we are looking for another dog, I thought I ought to get it out to check whether I need any refreshers, just in case.
But in short: both our dogs were amazingly well-behaved, well-balanced dogs who were praised wherever they went, be it around other dogs outside, at home or other people’s homes, hotels etc.
Their behaviour has persuaded quite a few others to get the book, too.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fun book in the sense that it has interesting stories and antidotes, but it's not something I would recommend to someone who was looking for hands-on training recommendations. And most of what she has to share is really circumstantial. While I appreciate all training perspectives and I feel reading a wide variety of view-points lends to my overall understanding of dogs and furthers the rehabilitation work that I do, I found her suggestions to not be helpful for anyone actually struggling with dog issues. I listened to the audio tape and it's an easy enough book to listen to, voice quality wise.

[Kristine Finocchario · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in 2007 when I had my first dog. I love Tamar’s approach to training, and I practiced many of these methods with my dog. As I just adopted a new dog, I figured it was worth a reread as I remembered enjoying the book, but not the training methods. I was surprised to realize that most of the methods that I had used for the 15 years I had my dogs were from The Loved Dog, and I am already practicing with my new puppy. While the other reviews mention name-dropping and unnecessary background information, I found the storytelling approach to this training philosophy to be effective in giving me context and understanding.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skipped the memoir type sections. This book was recommended when I googled what you need when you get a puppy. This book's philosophy complements the other dog training book I have, which is a much more practical step-by-step guide. Lots of gems of advice. For example, going to the pet store yesterday felt overwhelming and it was nice to have the dog toys broken down into 3 basic types. The gold, silver, and bronze treat typology also seems like it will be helpful.

(Kind of adding this to my read to help meet my yearly goal. There's lots I read that doesn't make it onto Goodreads.)

[Celest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the author's personal story and her passion for non-violent training methods. She describes pretty clearly how to reward desired behavior and discouraged unwanted behavior. It would have been helpful for her to illustrate or photography more clearly some of the techniques, break them down more for us visual learners.

[Torie Dann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geller does a great job detailing her history as a dog trainer and includes stories about her years of training along with helpful tips and tricks! This book gave me great insight on how training your dog with solely positive reinforcement IS possible!

[Erica Sunday · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very impressed with the author.
I love dogs and title intrigued me. I agree with her premise that abuse of animals should never happen.

As a rescue dog mom, I see the affects of abuse versus love on dogs.

Enjoyed.

[Taryn (ijustlovethisbook) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer for training. I wanted to get an idea of Tamar Geller’s thoughts around dog training and this was an easy way to do it. My dog has a long way to go before I’d even be able to use a lot of what’s in this book, but I’ll returning to Geller when we’re both ready for that!

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great way to think about training dogs. I have used a few of the techniques with my dogs and it works great. Just like we would teach our children how to behave with kindness and patience we should treat our animals the same.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geller shows you how to motivate a dog to behave. It’s about your dogs basic needs. It’s about understanding what makes your dog happy, so your whole family will be happy. And it’s about understanding the wolf inside your dog.

[Linda Bodnar · Rating 4 out of 5]

helpful information on training my dog with positive approaches and the damage done by negative techniques.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hb VG Gifting via LFL 3 / 20

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I concur with most of the other reviews. A couple of chapters could be useful. Skip the rest.

[Kate Landis]

Helpful and compassionate.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars! A compassionate book about working with and living with our fur babies. 🐕

[Joe Hauglie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required reading for all dog owners!!

[Anthony Bourne]

I only got to page one hundred. That's when I decided to donate the book to a better cause. A place where it can be stored for all to browse.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some helpful stuff about the basics but also a lot of name dropping. Makes it seem like it should be easy and intuitive.